The Yemeni security forces killed two suspected al-Qaeda members in clashes outside the Yemeni capital on Monday, officials said. The clashes took place in a region northeast of Sana'a.

The security forces attacked a group of al-Qaeda gunmen including Nazeeh al-Hanaq, a senior figure on Yemen's most wanted list, as they moved through the mountainous area of Arhab on Monday, security officials said, according to the AP. Al-Hanaq escaped, but two fighters with him died in the clash, the officials added.

Meanwhile, the American and British embassies extended their closure for a second day because of threats of attack by Al Qaeda. An officer on duty at the U.S. Embassy in San'a said Monday that the closure remained in force. A State Department spokesman, Fred Lash, said reopening would be assessed day to day. The Foreign Office in London said the British were also reviewing the situation.